Element of Life 1: AS OCR Chemistry B (Salters)

This course covers the basics of atomic structure, as well the history behind the discoveries, related formulae and experiments that you can replicate in your chemistry lab.

Course Introduction This course covers parts (a) - (h) of Storyline 1: Elements of Life.  This includes the section on Formula, Equations and Amounts of Substances and the section on Atomic Structure.  This information could be examined on any of the AS- or A level OCR Chemistry B (Salters) exams.

Before we engage with the complexities of chemistry, it is important that we understand some of the principal terms that we will use in our equations. Isotopes, atomic mass and relative molecular mass can be worked out when we know what to look for.

When we talk of moles, we are talking about carbon. Specifically, we are referring to the amount of a substance that holds the same number of particles as the number of carbon particles in 12g of the Carbon 12 isotope.

Count Amedeo Carlo Avogadro was an Italian scientist. His contribution to molecular theory is what we call Avogadro's constant. One mole is equal to an exact amount of atoms/molecules of that substance.

Solutions are liquid mixtures in which a solute has been uniformly dispersed within a solvent. Titration is both a method and a means of measurement where we may determine the concentration of a solute in a solution.

Answer these six short questions to help review what we have covered so far. The questions focus on the experiments previously described within the opening modules of this course.

We are used to seeing atoms as we imagine our own solar system. At the centre is the nucleus as the sun would command a system. Orbiting the nucleus are a number of electrons. In reality, it is different, but this is a good way to learn.

In 1807, George Dalton first proposed his atomic theory. In 1897, JJ Thomson went on to discover the sub-atomic electron. In 1909, Rutherford's discovery of the nucleus began to paint a clearer picture of the atom and its make-up.

Quantum theory tells us that electrons exist within a specific energy range, which we call a quantum shell. The shell determines the orbitals and the sub-orbitals.

This has been a course which covers some important terms and some unfamiliar phrases you may not have encountered before. These flashcards will help revise some of the terminology and formulae we have discussed.

Take this quiz to see how much you remember of the second part of this course. These questions look at atomic structure and the areas we have covered such as mass, orbitals, quantum shells and so on.